All care home residents and staff in England are to be eligible for coronavirus testing, regardless of whether they have symptoms, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.
Also, from Wednesday, all those over 65 and people who must leave home for work will be able to get a test if they are displaying symptoms.
Daily testing capacity is now up to 73,400, Mr Hancock said.
He said the government was "on track" for 100,000 tests a day by May.
Earlier this month, testing eligibility was expanded to allow all essential workers in England to register for tests on the government's website, if they or a family member have virus symptoms.
However, the test booking website temporarily closed hours after opening following "exceptional demand".
Speaking at the government's daily news conference, Mr Hancock said: "Building on successful pilots, we will be rolling out testing of asymptomatic residents and staff in care homes in England, and to patients and staff in the NHS.
"This will mean that anyone who is working or living in a care home will be able to get access to a test whether they have symptoms or not."
And he said certain workers and their families would also be able to access tests.
"From construction workers to emergency plumbers, from research scientists to those in manufacturing, the expansion of access to testing will protect the most vulnerable and help keep people safe", he said.
In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said all patients over 70 who are admitted to hospital for any reason will now be tested for Covid-19.
In Northern Ireland, testing has begun in some GP practices and will also be expanded in hospitals and care homes.
Wales has adopted a needs-based approach to testing for NHS and "critical" non-NHS workers.
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2020-04-28 16:40:55Z
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